Hodakaguy
Active member
The rear vertical L-track sections will act as the rear bed mounts but they need to span the rear windows, they also need to be curved to match the forward sections of vertical track. Today's project....start fabricating braces.
I started by cutting some mounting tabs out of some flat stock.
With the tabs cut I used a washer to mark out a radius on the corners then used a disk sander to round the corners of the tabs.
Next I applied some double stick tape to the back side of the tabs and stuck them in place, once installed I can start measuring the distance of the curved C-channel.
Next up I decided to remove the mill scale from the tabs, should have just done this in the first place lol. Removing the mill scale allows for cleaner welds and a better paint finish. The Ez-Strip disks make very quick work of removing mill scale without removing any metal, very handy!
Lower and upper tabs taped in place.
Here I'm using the L-track to set the location of the upper tab, the outer edges of the track need to line up evenly. The lower track will be off slightly due to the plastic trim.
Trimming the C-channel to size
Marking out the angle so the C-channel will mate up with the tabs correctly. Used a square block on the tabs to mark the angle onto the C-channel higher than it needs to be, then copied the angle and moved it down to the bottom where the actual cut is required.
C-channel cut and mounting tabs tacked in place.
My dad welding out the mounting tabs
Always fun watching my dad work his magic
Next up I drilled the 1/4" mounting holes in the L-track
Then I clamped the L-track onto the brace and used a drill bit to slightly mark the hole locations on the brace.
With the holes drilled I installed some temporary bolts and added some 1/4" stainless nuts on the back side, these nuts will be welded onto the brace.
As you tighten the bolts the Track will conform to the brace.
Nuts in place, then welded to the brace.
With the nuts welded in place I decided to add a piece of flat bar on the back side to close it out for a more finished look.
Counter sinking the bolt holes on the L-track.
L-track mounted to the brace. Almost finished, just need to drill the mounting holes on the tabs and paint the brace before install. I'm pretty happy with the way it turned out.
And a quick picture with me holding the assembly in place. It started to rain and shut down my progress for the day.....lighting for pics was terrible but You get the idea
Now to replicate it again for the passenger side
Hodakaguy
I started by cutting some mounting tabs out of some flat stock.
With the tabs cut I used a washer to mark out a radius on the corners then used a disk sander to round the corners of the tabs.
Next I applied some double stick tape to the back side of the tabs and stuck them in place, once installed I can start measuring the distance of the curved C-channel.
Next up I decided to remove the mill scale from the tabs, should have just done this in the first place lol. Removing the mill scale allows for cleaner welds and a better paint finish. The Ez-Strip disks make very quick work of removing mill scale without removing any metal, very handy!
Lower and upper tabs taped in place.
Here I'm using the L-track to set the location of the upper tab, the outer edges of the track need to line up evenly. The lower track will be off slightly due to the plastic trim.
Trimming the C-channel to size
Marking out the angle so the C-channel will mate up with the tabs correctly. Used a square block on the tabs to mark the angle onto the C-channel higher than it needs to be, then copied the angle and moved it down to the bottom where the actual cut is required.
C-channel cut and mounting tabs tacked in place.
My dad welding out the mounting tabs
Always fun watching my dad work his magic
Next up I drilled the 1/4" mounting holes in the L-track
Then I clamped the L-track onto the brace and used a drill bit to slightly mark the hole locations on the brace.
With the holes drilled I installed some temporary bolts and added some 1/4" stainless nuts on the back side, these nuts will be welded onto the brace.
As you tighten the bolts the Track will conform to the brace.
Nuts in place, then welded to the brace.
With the nuts welded in place I decided to add a piece of flat bar on the back side to close it out for a more finished look.
Counter sinking the bolt holes on the L-track.
L-track mounted to the brace. Almost finished, just need to drill the mounting holes on the tabs and paint the brace before install. I'm pretty happy with the way it turned out.
And a quick picture with me holding the assembly in place. It started to rain and shut down my progress for the day.....lighting for pics was terrible but You get the idea
Now to replicate it again for the passenger side
Hodakaguy
